Lighthouse
by st4r-pl314d3s
Summary: Wolfram thought Yuuri is like lighthouse, which although spread light everywhere else, the base is always dark. YuuriWolfram
1. prolog

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Tomo Takabayashi and various publishers and studios. The poem is Devotion by Robert Frost. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Warning:** AU from the OVA.

**Pairing:** Yuuri/Wolfram eventually.

**Note:** Many thanks to BloodRaevynn who has kindly betaed this story, hence making it far, far better than before.

**Lighthouse**

**Prolog**

On the shore on the North part of Shin Makoku, there is an old lighthouse. When Wolfram was a child, his father used to take him there in their few holidays together. While Lord Bielefeld's interest was lying on the village near the shore, little Wolfram's attention was invariably drawn to the lighthouse.

Once, when it was new, it must have been a beautiful lighthouse, with its white wall and reddish brown roof. But, even at that time, with its paint fading out, he thought it was amazing that a simple tower could prevent hundreds of ships from drowning. Until one day, after noticing his son's fascination with the lighthouse, his father brought him there at night, to watch it at work.

If he thought the shore as beautiful at day, it was nothing compared with how it looked like at night. The village was a few miles away, and at night, the only noises on the shore were those of the waves crashing against the rocks which were scattered along the beach and the cries of the occasional birds. His father pointed out the small ships in the distance, which were relying on the lighthouse to guide them; but the only thing little Wolfram noticed was how sad it was ─ that although the lighthouse gave out light, its own base was so dark.

Supposing someone asked him to describe Yuuri, he would say that Yuuri was like that lighthouse. Just like the deceptively plain light house, although he seemed like an ordinary boy, Yuuri had succeeded on bringing peace between human and mazoku. He had also destroyed Soushu, which even Shinou had failed to do. But the main trait he shared with the lighthouse was the way it indiscriminately shared its light – Yuuri always had kindness, trust, and forgiveness to be given to anybody.

Unfortunately, just like the light house, Yuuri had a blind spot: He couldn't stand to see anybody in distress, be it someone he knew personally or a stranger, unless it was Wolfram -- Yuuri could 

forgive anybody, no matter whether it was a friend or an enemy, except him. While the lighthouse, being so tall, couldn't help failing to spare light for its own base, Wolfram did not know whether Yuuri created his blind spot intentionally – however unconsciously – or not.

Wolfram sighed -- it didn't matter anymore.

Once, the castle was his home. He missed it dreadfully every time he went away. Yet, now, it didn't seem important anymore. He had lost Yuuri. He had lost his magic. Even his brothers were angry with him.

He took his bag and cast one last look around the room. He was born here and grew up here.

When he was a kid, Gwendal used to read him bedtime stories while he was lying on the very bed his bag had been resting on before. He would try to emulate the characters' voices, and failed miserably, yet Wolfram had tried desperately to keep his eyes open until the end of the stories. At that time, Gwendal was his hero and could do no wrong.

One day, after a day out that had ended up raining, Wolfram had caught a fever. Conrad sat up all night in the wooden chair beside the bed, changing his compresses and holding his hand. Wolfram remembered that even in his delirious state, he had known that the warm hands belong to someone who would protect him; after all, Conrad had promised so, and he had never lied. That was before he knew about Conrad's father – knowledge that, on some days, he wished he never possessed.

He could still see his mother, hugging him from behind in front of the big, ornate mirror near the door, and informing him how alike both of them were. It delighted her, so he never told her how afraid he was of turning into her.

Sometimes, he'd hoped he would also have memories of Yuuri here; yet it was more likely that Yuuri didn't even know that this room existed. Yuuri thought Wolfram had no room of his own and Wolfram never corrected this opinion, even encouraged it, for fear of getting thrown out.

He willed the tears not to come out and opened the door – no use dwelling on the past. He must hurry so that when they awoke he would already be on the sea.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Tomo Takabayashi and various publishers and studios. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended

Warning: AU after the end of the series

Pairing: Yuuri/Wolfram eventually

Note: I found different translations of the characters' name on different websites and anime translations. The one I followed is from and wikipedia.

Chapter I

Conrad was the first one to notice Wolfram's departure. He had seen the despair on his little brother's eyes at dinner the night before, and spent the entire night turning around in bed himself, unable to sleep.

They were all undeniably angry with Wolfram. It seemed like an unnecessary cruelty, even for his brother's temper. If it was not for Jozak and heika, he was afraid to imagine the casualties. Even with their intervention, the numbers has been far too many.

Yet, he understood Wolfram's temper better than the others. He knew that their mother had tried her best. Yet it looked like motherly instinct and attitudes were some kind of talents, and there were simply people who were born without them. It was not like she did not care, she was just too absorb in her own life and the country to realize the difference between what her children really needed, and what she thought they needed.

Gwendal had tried to be both father and substitute mother figure for Wolfram and him. Unfortunately, when Wolfram was born, there were too many years between them. People put a lot of expectations on Gwendal, Maou's eldest son. There were the rigorous military training and the time consuming political lessons. Tried as he might, it was unavoidable for Gwendal to be consumed by their mother's world. And Wolfram, merely a toddler, left behind.

So, by default, he became Wolfram's main caretaker. At least, until Wolfram found out that he was a half blood.

He resolved that came morning, he would search his brother out and have a real conversation with him. He was still angry, but he wanted to listen to Wolfram's side of story. After all, Wolfram was still his little brother.

That was why, after Wolfram failed to appear at breakfast, he came to Wolfram's bedroom. He did not find him there. He also did not find Wolfram's clothes.

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"Pardon?" asked Gwendal without lifted his head.

He was in the middle of penning yet another letter to Shin Makoku's allies when Conrad came. And despite popular believe, Gwendal disliked paperwork as much as the next person did. He put high value on responsibility and he understood the necessary of said paperwork. It did not mean he like it, especially in days like these, and Conrad's news did not alleviate his mood at all.

"Wolfram disappeared. I have checked his bedroom and there are no clothes left. I also asked the stable boy, and he has taken his favorite horse with him,"

If it was not necessary for Gwendal to know, Conrad would rather keep this from him. Apart from heika, Gwendal was the least possible candidate for Wolfram's fan club at that moment.

"That brat! Did he think he hasn't created enough problems for us?"

This time, Conrad got his full attention. He has not raised his voice for a long time, but he felt this occasion clearly justified the need. Gwendal tighten his grip on the pen. He knew they should not spoil him so much.

Conrad took a deep breath, and then another, before voiced the question which had driven him to Gwendal "So, what should we do now?"

"Nothing!" spat Gwendal. Surely even peacemaker Conrad could not be seriously hope for him to send someone tracking and dragging home Wolfram.

"But, brother…" He was sure Gwendal did not mean it. Gwendal was already worried, and Wolfram's recent action only added fuel to fire. A worried Gwendal, Conrad knew, tended to hide his fear behind anger.

"I have sent Jozak to the border, and thanks to him, we can't spare people from the capital right now. Just let him. I am sure he will come back by himself soon,"

Apparently, Conrad did. Sometimes, he really could not understand Conrad. Did not Conrad understand the trouble they were in?

Conrad did not think so. Wolfram maybe a spoiled kid, but he was also a determined one.

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If telling Gwendal has been difficult, it was nothing compared with telling his heika. Yuuri was absolutely furious with his brother and spent the entire time they were playing baseball ranting about it.

"Of all the irresponsible thing he could do! Can't he even once, in his selfish life, take time to think how his actions will affect other people?"

His anger made Yuuri hit the ball harder than necessary.

Conrad disliked being in disagreement with his heika. Yet, although it merited some point, he thought Yuuri's opinion was a bit unfair. After all, it was not Wolfram's selfishness that has begun their newest mess.

"He only wants to protect you, Heika. It was terrible, seeing you too still while that man put his sword on your neck," Conrad said, throwing another ball. That memory has given him a fair number of nightmares since. He could only imagine how it was for Wolfram.

"I know, Conrad. But it doesn't mean he had to react like that. He could negotiate with them or fight them with sword. In fact, it was Jozak's stealth ability that saved me," Yuuri argued, hitting the ball.

Really, sometimes Yuuri could not understand how Conrad could keep defending Wolfram, when the younger man did not even bother to keep his dislike about Conrad and his heritage in private. But, it just how Wolfram saw the world, didn't it? As if the world owed his something, and everybody should given in to his demands and desires.

Time like that really reminded Conrad that Yuuri and Julia shared a soul. Dear Julia, an extraordinary healer that she was, would not agree on taking people's lives, no matter what the reason.

Conrad sighed. He could not condone Wolfram action as well. Still, Wolfram was young. That, and in love, tended to make people acted recklessly.

"He is young and temperamental, Heika. Besides, he cares about you,"

Yuuri gave up trying to play, and sank himself into the grass. He was too angry. He could not believe how gullible Conrad could be. In other hand, he absolutely could believe how Wolfram, self serving as he was, used this trait of his brother to his advantage.

"It is not an excuse, Conrad, he is older than eighty years old. Besides, you all care about me, and none of you proves it by killing,"

Yuuri wished fervently he could make Conrad to see reason. Wolfram was old enough to be responsible for his own actions and he had made it very clear that Conrad's attention was unwanted.

"You know it is different for him, Heika. You are his fiancé,"

The statement only worsen Yuuri's bleak mood.

"We know it was only an accident, Conrad. Besides, I am sure he is not holding on that title because of some great love to me. I agree he cares about me. After all, he is my friend and Shin Makoku's soldier. Yet, it is clear his reason for forcing to maintain this engagement issue lies on his pride," spat Yuuri.

"It is not true, Heika," Conrad started to argue.

"Leave it, Conrad. I don't want to argue with you," cut Yuuri. It was useless, anyway. When it was about Wolfram, Conrad has a big blind spot.

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It took Yuuri a full hour to console Greta. Nobody told her about what now they dubbed as "Sloanne's Disaster". They all thought that she was far too young to hear that kind of thing. So, she could not comprehend why everyone seemed distant lately. Then, this afternoon, she could not find her Wolfram, who had promised to read her Anissina's newest story. Naturally, she searched the one person Wolfram spent most of his time with, her daddy Yuuri.

When his daughter came and asked him, all big eyes and innocent face, where Wolfram have gone to, Yuuri did not have the heart to tell her that the irresponsible brat has disappeared, and even if he were here, she better stayed far away from that dangerous demon. Instead, he told her that Wolfram has gone in a secret mission.

He surely did not prepare for the tears that soon leaking from her eyes, nor for her tantrums. Apparently, when Yuuri came back to earth, she had been in tears for days, since she was sure he had abandoned her and would not come back to Shin Makoku. Yuuri cringed when he heard this, because it was true that at that time, he had chosen to leave Greta forever. Her inconsolable depression has prompted Wolfram to promise her, that even if Yuuri was not around, she still had another daddy, and he would not go anywhere without told her about it beforehand.

So, naturally she could not understand why Wolfram would break his promise then and went without saying goodbye to her. Especially with her birthday merely three shy weeks ahead. Did Wolfram get bored with her?

And Yuuri found himself trapped to defend the blond mazoku to his own daughter, since explaining the truth was out of question and the other option was to let his daughter believe that Wolfram was angry with her. Therefore, it was a thoroughly annoyed maou who came to the meeting room.

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It does not help his mood any, when Gizela came blazing into the meeting room in the middle of discussion.

"What have you done to Lord Bielefeld?" she asked as soon as she reached them.

"Gizela, we are on the middle of important discussion. So please, can you wait until we finished?" said Gwendal. He could already feel his headache becoming worse.

"No, I won't wait. What had you done to him? Did you banish him?"

Yuuri did not know how he recognized it, but there was a panic edge on Gizela's voice. He wondered why. After all, Wolfram has come out of Sloanne's disaster without even an injury.

"We did nothing to him. It is him who deserted," he answered.

"And who have you sent to look for him?" it was clear they will get no peace until she decided so.

"We sent nobody, Gizela. Thanks to Wolfram's act, now we have a riot on the borders, and Jozak was sent to investigate there. Also, since it is quite possible for the ruler of Tarleton to attack us, we can't spare anybody from the army right now. Besides, I am sure Wolfram can take care of himself,"

Deep down, Conrad doubted Gwendal's words. Wolfram was a skilled sword man, and his fire element sure offered a lot of help, but he was also a sheltered prince. Before Heika' arrival, he never ventured out of the capital. He has no real world experience. Yet, he understood just too well that pointing out this fact would only worsen the situation.

"Are we talking about the same person here? Moreover, you admitted that the situation is tense. What is the chance that some human recognized him as a mazoku and attack him?"

"He is the one who put us on this situation!" said Gunter angrily. Granted, Gizela and the troublesome prince were childhood friends. It still did not give her a right to interrupt an important meeting, especially if she insisted to behave in this manner.

"And heika is the one who started this debacle!"

"Gizela! Mind your manner!" thundered Gunter. Gizela clearly has crossed the limit. How could she blame heika when it was Wolfram who was in fault?

"I am only speaking the truth. Lord Bielefeld's method maybe not the best one, but he only wants to protect Heika. Did any of you, except Jozak, could make a difference on that time? And we didn't know at that time whether or not Jozak would reach Heika before the fire. You are only able to judge," ranted Gizela. She did not understand how they all, including her own father, could be so blind.

"Even if it was true, it doesn't excuse his method. He is the last maou's son, and the current maou's fiancée. He should know better than invited war into our territories, especially after Heika's hard work to prevent it. I believe you haven't forgotten the effect the last war with human brought into Shin Makoku,"

Gizela stared at Gwendal as if she couldn't believe her ears. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture.

"On the second thought, if the only people he has here are the like of you, maybe he is better off went away," spat her coldly.

She closed the door with full forced when she went out.

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Lady Flurin. It has been sometime since he saw her. Tomorrow, Conrad and he would go to Caloria to meet her. Gwendal opined that since quite possibly they were in the brink of a war, it was better for the country if he would go to their allies and explain the situation. He had written and sent letters, of course. Yet maou's presence would give additional image of sincerity and urgency. It could be guessed that Gunter vetoed the idea, claimed it was too dangerous a journey for their maou. But even Gunter couldn't offer better alternative.

Yuuri sighed. Like any other teenager, he has thought of getting a girlfriend. He imagined her to be pretty and, maybe because he himself admittedly rather clumsy, graceful. Two categories Lady Flurin could easily fulfilled.

If he were honest, he has spent quite a lot of time entertaining the thought of courting her. She was an amazing woman and he really liked her. He has no doubt that she would become a perfect queen for Shin Makoku. Besides, their alliances surely would benefit both of their countries.

He glanced to his daughter's form that was asleep on his bed. Greta has been terribly upset when she learned that not only Wolfram would not be here for her birthday, but also Yuuri would go to Caloria. Yuuri really could not blame her. They had promised her a small birthday party a few months ago with the entire family attending. Even Cheri had promised to come back in time.

Inwardly, he cursed Wolfram. Wolfram always called him a coward. It seemed he should look at the mirror first.

Still, there was nothing he could do. He needed to reach their allies as soon as possible, before they heard it from unreliable gossips, or worse, before the war really broken out. So, he pacified her with promise that if she agreed to delay her party for a few weeks, Yuuri would make sure he would have came back at that time.

Not for the first time he thought that she needed a mother. Cheri, with all her traveling around, was a poor substitute. Anissina tried, but Yuuri did not think she was having any motherly bones on her. And selfish, emotional Wolfram clearly could not fill that shoe.

Sometimes, Yuuri even wondered whether Wolfram really liked Greta, or he liked her because Yuuri liked her. Yes, he had taken care of Greta when Yuuri came back to earth. But, Yuuri could not help suspected that maybe Wolfram did that because deep down he still believed Yuuri would somehow came back, or because he has no other choice. Especially given Wolfram's usual attitudes where humans were concerned.

No, what Greta need was a real mother.

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Gizela could not sleep. She kept remembering that day's events, and her mind was plagued by what-could-have-been.

She had heard about Lord Bielefeld's disappearance from Doria, who had heard about it from the stable boy himself, when she went to the kitchen for some herbs. For once, she was grateful for Doria's love to gossip. In half an hour, she had found out about Lord Weller's enquiry to the stable boy, completed with a plethora of rumors.

The maids were sure that heika had secretly thrown out Lord Bielefeld, while according to some night guards, he has ran away to avoid the martial court which Lord Voltaire would start. In the other hand, Lord Bielefeld's own guards have steadfastly believe in his honor and insisted that he had went away to redeem his failures.

She knew why he ran away.

She still could remember his face, when she told him she could not find anything wrong about him and therefore she did not understand why he could not used his fire. She could still hear his demand that she kept that news to herself. And she could still picture his expression when heika avoided him like a plague, or when his brothers did not want to meet his eyes.

And he was not wrong to go. They did not even worry about him. None of them have tried to retrieve him.

Silently, she began to sob. All of these were her fault.

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When she let herself thought about it, Flurin admitted she has more than a crush to Shin Makoku's Maou. She was a strong, determined woman. She did not wait and hope for a knight to come and slay the monsters for her. And she did love her husband.

Yet, there was something about the young king that grown on her. He came unexpected, when she had desperately held on a frayed rope of hope. He offered her help, and did more than what she expected, all while asking for nothing in return. And unlike most of those knights in stories, he did not only treat her like a fragile princess to be protected, but also as an able ruler, an equal and partner.

Still, most of the days, she banished this thought as a daydream that wasted time. He was a mazoku, with different life time than her, a human. He maybe blushed and sometimes even unconsciously flirted with her, but he had a fiancé, even if he denied it.

It did not mean she was prepared to see said fiancé appeared out of the blue in her resident and demanded an audience with her, though.

"Lady Flurin, thank you for seeing me. Please, forgive me for not giving you a notice first. I believe all is well with you and Caloria?" Wolfram employed all his social skill. He rarely bothered with courtesies and the like, but this woman held his future on her hand.

"Lord von Bielefeld, it is a pleasure to see you again. Yes, thank you for your enquiries. And Shin Makoku, are the others well?"

Honestly, she did not remember a lot about him other as a shadow of Heika who threw a good deal of tantrums now and then. But in reflection, she should not be so surprised. After all, he was a son of the former maou. Surely social courtesy was included in his education.

"All are well, thank you for your attention. My visit here is not on a formal capacity as Shin Makoku's ambassador," The words were difficult to be said. He wished things were different. Already, he missed his home. He missed his family. He missed Yuuri.

"Oh?" she noticed a subtle movement of his feet. "He is nervous. I wonder why?'

"Lady Flurin, I know you have no reason to give it to me, but I hope to appeal to your heart to let me stay here,"

He hoped the rumors have not reached her. He wished she would agree. In spite of what people tend to think about him, he was not blind. He knew that even without hearing the news, she has no obligation to accept his request and little desire to do so.

"Of course I will gladly accept you as my guest anytime, Lord von Bielefeld,"

The request was a little strange to her. Now that Shin Makoku and Caloria was ally, it was entirely normal for delegation from either country to visit the other. Lord Bielefeld's visit maybe came out of the blue, but even though it was not a formal one, he surely knew that she would accept him.

"I am not saying it clearly. I mean, not as your guest. I wish to ask you for a citizenship," he held his breath, waiting for her answer.

'Please, please, say yes,' he thought. He has run away in haste. He has no backup plan if Flurin was to reject him.

Not many things could surprise Flurin, considering the life she has led, but this one was success to render her speechless for a few moments.

"Pardon?" surely, she was misheard.

"I wish to impose on your kindness and ask for a citizenship, Lady Flurin,"

"But…why? Surely heika won't agree with this?" asked Flurin, befuddled.

"I….Well, if you must know the story…but I beg your indulgence to let me tell you till the end before you decide, Lady,"


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Tomo Takabayashi and various publishers and studios. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warning: AU after the end of the second season.

Pairing: Yuuri/Wolfram eventually

Note: Very sorry, there were many unforeseen things I have to do last month so this part took longer than I predicted to finish.

Chapter II

The weather was nice and the sea was calm. He has been informed that if nothing changed, they would arrive earlier than scheduled. Yet somehow, it seemed strange for Yuuri.

He groaned inwardly. He used to think of Wolfram's inability to take a sea journey without getting sick in the process, coupled with his stubbornness to follow him anyway, as annoying. Then he got his wish and suddenly it felt alien.

And why did he think about Wolfram in the first place? He should think about Lady Flurin, whom he would soon meet.

He had wanted to bring her some gifts. Unfortunately, he has no idea what a woman would like. Asking Anissina or Ulrike was out of question, since he did not think they could give him suitable advises. He also could not ask Gizela. Lately, she has taken to give him cold shoulder. He has toyed with the idea of asking his mom, but there was no time to go back to earth. In the end, he asked the maids.

His mind wandered to the bracelet he kept in the bottom of his bag. They had convinced him that one could not be wrong with jewelry. Originally, he wanted to buy a necklace, since a ring would be too forward. But then he saw the bracelet, and decided at that moment it would be the perfect thing.

It was a thin one, made of platinum with braided design. The only ornament decorated it was a greenish gold stone that the jeweler has assured him as a rare stone. It reminded him of her, simple and elegant.

Gwendal's letter must have reached Caloria when the ship was entering its harbor. He wondered whether she would be there waiting for him.

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"Do you have one in sky blue?" the young woman asked, "I think it will suit my dress better than this grey one,"

"I think I have some. Please, wait a moment," Wolfram turned around from her, striding towards the racks on the East wall. If he remembered correctly, he has put the ribbons there.

The bell chimed, telling him that another person has entered his small shop.

"Excuse me; do you have a dinner set? My old one was broken and I will entertain some guest tonight," a woman voice, older this time, called him.

"Yes, I have some. It was on the rack near the door," He answered, straightening his body and moving back to his table. Mentally, he made a note to purchase some more ribbons. This was his last stock.

"This is the ribbons, Miss," he said, giving it to the first woman when the bell chimed again. This time, it was two sailors.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, automatically pasting his smile. His face was hurt from smiling. It was not something he was accustomed of. Yet, he also never thought of becoming a store owner and looked where he was.

After Lady Flurin let him stay, he was at a lost for a moment. He never planned farther than getting refuge. He even did not let himself to believe, despite his own hope, that Flurin would give him permission. After all, it would hardly endear Caloria to Shin Makoku.

Lady Flurin has done more than that and even offered him to stay indefinitely in the palace. Yet, his pride could not let him accept it. It was one thing asking for a citizenship. It was another to leech of the woman Yuuri liked. Yes, even if he tried to deny it most of the time, he did realize Yuuri's infatuation with Caloria's leader. Besides, he knew that with their peace in peril, sooner or later Yuuri would come to Caloria, seeking assistant. He did not think he could face Yuuri when it happened.

He has carried with him all of his money and jewelries. He would not be hungry for a long time. But he knew if he was there for good, he has to look for a job.

Many of the skills he learnt on his old life would not help him in Caloria. As the previous maou's son, he was well verse in politic and history, despite everybody's, especially Yuuri's, assumption that he was nothing but a freeloader. Yet, he has refused the invitation to stay in the palace and most human's children have no need for Mazoku's history and language lessons. There was his skill with sword. Even without his fire, he was still a good soldier. But in the odd chance that his brother or Yuuri sent a scout to locate him, a soldier or even mercenary would be their first suspect.

He was walking around in town when he saw the sale sign on the store's window. It was a small shop which sell a little of everything, from clothes to potteries, from candies to fisherman's equipments. The owners, an old married couple, planned to move into next town to stay with their daughter. It was something he never considered before, yet at that moment he realized it was perfect for him.

The busy store kept his mind from wandering back home most of the days. In addition, no one from Shin Makoku would suspect him of becoming a shop owner. Better yet, he could track the news without actually asking for them. A lot of his customers loved to gossip and even the sailors were often talking when they were waiting for him to fetch their items.

"Do you have some new fishing net?" one of them asked him.

"I think I have one left," he said, heading to the shelf for fishing equipment. The shelf was in the back of his store and he has only kept a little supply since most of the fishermen chose to mend their old ones than to buy a new ones.

It was when he was rummaging on the fishing equipment he heard the news.

"No, I am not kidding. I saw the ship myself when I came back from the sea this morning. It is definitely Shin Makoku's Maou,"

"Is it a private visit? It has been quite sometimes since their last one," asked the second sailor.

"I don't know. It can be. Just the other day, I overheard my wife and her friends speculated about romance between the maou and our lady," said the first one with tone that clearly said he did not think it was important.

"Yes, the women love to gossip. It won't hurt Caloria any though, if it was true,"

Wolfram found his heart was beating faster. Yuuri was here.

'Calm down, Wolf. He came for lady Flurin. There is little to no chance he will came into the town,'

Still, it did little to assuage the barrage of thoughts which invaded his mind. Did it mean the war would really start? Or maybe Yuuri's visit, like the sailors suggested, was strictly personal? It seemed unlikely, unless Tarleton has decided to take back their accusations. He missed Yuuri, he hoped he could meet him. He did not want Yuuri to find him out. He should accept the offer to stay on the palace. Maybe he could sneak out there? Did Yuuri still angry with him? Of course he would, this was Yuuri after all.

He shook his head trying to make the thoughts vanished, grabbed the net and walked to the sailors.

He should stop thinking about Yuuri. It would bring no good to him.

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Flurin has acquired mixed feeling since she received the letter from Shin Makoku. In a way, she was glad for Yuuri Heika's coming visitation. It has been quite sometimes since they seen each other. Yet, the trouble implicated on the letter disturbed her. A few peaceful years have not erased the memories of last war from her mind, nor did she know from her citizens's.

Lord von Voltaire did not dwell into details in his letter. Instead, he promised that Yuuri Heika would explain it all when he came to Caloria. Yet, she could guess what it was about, thank to Lord von Bielefeld.

Lord von Bielefeld. He was another matter that troubled her. She has harbored him because it seemed cruel to turn him away. Besides, she convinced it was not as bad as he seemed to believe. Surely, he was just overreacted. After all, he did tend to be emotional and self centered. But reading the letter, she started to question whether she had been wrong.

He had informed her of settling in the town. As far as she knew, he has not had any communication with Shin Makoku since. Should she tell Yuuri Heika if he enquired after his errant fiancé?

She saw Shin Makoku's ship arrived in Caloria's harbor and felt another trouble born. It was faster than the plan. The welcome party was planned for another two days.

She took a deep breath. It would be all right. Yuuri Heika would understand. She would wait for his explanation before making any conclusions. And she would play by the ear about a certain blond mazoku.

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"Yuuri Heika, Sir Weller, what a nice surprise. You are two days earlier than I expected," Flurin greeted, smiling.

"Lady Flurin, it is nice to see you again. I hope we did not trouble you. We had better weather than expected," Conrad replied.

"Yes, it is very nice to see you again. How is Caloria?" Yuuri added. She was far prettier than in his memory.

"Not at all. I hope you don't mind that the welcome party is delayed, though," She answered, "Caloria is well, Yuuri Heika," she turned to Yuuri.

"It is all right. I believe you have received Gwendal's letter?" he asked, offering his arm to Lady Flurin, which to his relief and joy, accepted it in a heartbeat.

"Yes, although Sir Voltaire only gave the cursory explanation, so I would be glad if Heika can give me a clearer picture of it. We could talk while dinning, if it is convenience for you,"

There was a flutter of something on her stomach. Looking at the grim look exchanged between her two guests, she did not sure whether it was excitement on having Yuuri Heika here or the foreboding for whatever news Yuuri Heika would impart.

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"It was one of the journeys we made to inspect the border's towns. Gwendal, Conrad, Wolfram, Jozak and me went at that time. There have been some reports about unrest on that region. We planned to check it out ourselves. Normally, someone always stayed with me. But Wolfram was angry and throwing wild accusation to me that day. We fought and he left. Then Conrad tried to get him back, Gwendal had some business or other with the local's chief, and Jozak was out collecting information. So, I was alone," Yuuri began the story.

"It supposed to be safe. After all, I was in a crowded tavern. Yet it seemed we were set up. I remembered eating dinner when suddenly I felt so dizzy. I thought I was unconscious in a minute or two,"

"Next time I knew, it was fire everywhere. People were shouting and screaming and the air was filled with smoke and the odor of burning fleshes. Yozak was in front of me. He said he would explain everything later, but then was a very good time for me to be conscious and it would even be better if I could change into the 'maou' and used my water power," Yuuri glanced at Conrad, silently asked him to fill on the details.

Telling the story made him ill. He never faced death that close, that horrible and that many. He had nightmares for days afterwards.

That thought sparked his anger to the blond mazoku again. People's lives were precious. Why could not Wolfram understand that simple concept? Worse, he even got nerve to act as if he was the one who has been hurt, as if he has done nothing wrong. Did he have no conscience? Or maybe, it was because all the victims were human. After all, Wolfram's dislike to human, although not a prime time news, was not a secret either.

"When we came back to the tavern, we found that someone has kidnapped Heika. Through information gathering and some interrogations, we found out that Heika has been brought to Sloanne, a region of Tarleton bordering with Shin Makoku's town we visited. So there we went." Understanding Yuuri's unspoken words, Conrad began to continue the story.

"We prepared to fight a small troop of rebels. But what we met was a huge number of people who has been trained with military's skill. It was clear we were outnumbered. The leader has Heika poisoned and unconscious. He told us that mazoku was evil and since humans would be better off without us, he would eliminate all of us, starting with our king."

"I thought we were kind of panic. All things were on their favor. They get greater number, they knew the landmark better and they had hostage. There were even some sorcerers on their number and they brought houseki, preventing us from using our magic. We were fighting, but they had gotten heika surrounded by their numbers and we could barely break the outer layer. It was quite chaotic and I could not follow nor remember the events clearly, but then Wolfram snapped. Somehow − we could not understand how − he managed to summon the fire. We realized something was wrong when the air was getting really hot. When I looked at him, instead of his normal fire attack, the fire became kind of a big ball in his hands. Then, before either of us could really react, he unleashed the fire towards them."

"It reminded me a lot about when I was sent into the war. The fire burnt most of our attackers. I thought the rest of us were too surprise to act at that time," Conrad took a breath.

He could still recall Wolfram's face at that time. He suspected he would remember that picture for the rest of his life. He was quite familiar with almost all of Wolfram's expressions, but that one gave him chills despite the fire. His younger brother has looked like death's own representative. The fire's light has made his brother's hair glittering and the fire seemed like dancing to some unheard song, framing Wolfram. He was used to wear his emotion clearly for everybody and anybody to see, yet at that time his face was cold and expressionless.

He shook the reminiscent away and continued telling his story.

"I do not know how long it lasted. Then suddenly there was a big storm and it put the fire to rest. It was at that time we realized that while we were busy fighting, Jozak has stealthily made his way into heika and give him some antidote,"

He also did not know where Jozak has gotten that antidote. Once, Jozak has told him that being a spy has given him a habit to carry necessary medicines with him everywhere, since he was always at risk of getting wounded or poisoned. He supposed they were lucky one of Jozak's antidotes was a perfect match for the poison heika was given.

"We saved heika, but it was too late for Sloanne. Wolfram's fire has vanquished most of the town that day. "

Flurin could not think. She did not want to think. Lord von Bielefeld has said that they went in a trip to check the truth of a rumor. He has told her that Yuuri was kidnapped and they were overwhelmed by the enemies. Yet, his account of the battle that followed was only that he was worried and in his effort to liberated Yuuri he has killed. This has made Lord von Voltaire, Sir Weller, Lord von Christ and Yuuri Heika angry with him.

At that time, what little that she knew about them has lent a credible support to his story. After all, it was no secret that Lord von Bielefeld has a tendency to guide his acts by his emotions. It was also a common knowledge that Yuuri Heika would forgive even the person who tried to assassin him. Why, there was even a rumor that the reason he found his adopted daughter was that she tried to kill him. In addition, it was not difficult to predict who the rest of the palace would support if they must choose one.

But she has lived through wars. She knew that sometimes it was impossible to avoid killing when you were in the middle of one. She has also believed that once the anger dissipated, the rest of Blood Pledge Castle's residents would see it as well. She never imagined that number of casualties, though.

"Which brought us to our current situation,"

Conrad's voice stopped Flurin's thoughts. This was neither the time nor the place for thinking about them.

"Thanks to Wolfram's action, we are on the brink of war with Tarleton,"

"Their king won't let us eliminate one of their towns without retaliation. Currently, Gwendal was pursuing the diplomatic venue, but the threat of war was still strong and true," Conrad continued the explanation calmly, as if Yuuri was never interrupted.

"You came to ask for Caloria's support if the talk is failed," Flurin surmised.

"Yes. I know that this is really unfair, but we really need Caloria's support" Conrad admitted.

"Besides, I have a lot of confident on Gwendal and Gunter's abilities to negotiate," Yuuri chimed in.

Conrad was right. It did put her in a difficult position. In one hand, she could not condone a callous killing. Furthermore, they were human, just like her and her people. Yet in other hand, Shin Makoku has helped Caloria tremendously in the past. These humans were the one at fault, for they began the conflict. Either way, supposing the war would break out it would put back the gulf between mazoku and human. Something Yuuri has worked hard to bridge. Besides, Caloria's support could help showing others that this was not a war between mazoku and human, merely between Shin Makoku and Tarleton. Besides, even the killing was not Yuuri's fault. It was Lord von Bielefeld's.

'And you harbor him,' a voice in her head reminded her unhelpfully.

"We will help you. After all, Caloria and Shin Makoku are allied. Besides, it will help in overcome issues that this war is a war between races. "

"Thank you, thank you Lady Flurin. It will really be a big help if we are to have Caloria in our side. Although I still have high hope it will not need to end up on a war,"

Conrad tuned out Yuuri Heika's thanks and Lady Flurin's answers. He was quite sure the ruler of Caloria was hiding something. He has observed her face when she considered their proposal and there were some conflicting emotions in her eyes that seemed too personal to be caused simply by their plight. He only wished he could be that certain on whether Lady Flurin's secret would affect them or not.

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Tried as she might, Flurin could not erase the conversation they had that night from her mind. Nor she could erase the nagging feeling that she had made a big mistake by letting Lord von Bielefeld to stay.

He has murdered a lot of people. If Shin Makoku ended up fighting a war, the blame would lie on his feet. Is that the kind of a person she wanted to release upon her people?

On the more personal level, she could not condone his causing that much distress on Yuuri Heika. It was clear to her that a war was the last one on Yuuri Heika's wish list. Why, the man was even desperately grasped on the hope of successful negotiation. Personally, she was not that optimistic and she could see neither did Sir Weller.

Yet, she has promised him that he could stay. He maybe has no compunction about lying, but she has. She has also said she would not tell heika about him staying in Caloria, so she has to solve this herself. Granted, at that time she thought he would go back to Shin Makoku in a month or two. Unfortunately, a promise was a promise.

She would confront him, then. She wanted to hear his reason for lying and gave him a piece of her mind. Yes, she would search for him the first time she could. After all, she did not want heika to become suspicious. It made tomorrow was out, since she has promised to give Yuuri Heika a tour around her resident.

For now, there was nothing she could do but sleep.

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"This is a nice garden. I don't remember seeing it the last time I visited here, though," said Yuuri. He was not exaggerating. The garden was really beautiful, with big fountains and the flowers all in blossom. Conrad really missed out when he said he wanted to scout the city instead.

"This was quite new. We just built it last year," Flurin explained. She was glad Yuuri Heika liked it. This garden was one of her favorite place in the palace.

They have walked around most of the garden when Yuuri decided that maybe it was the right time to give Lady Flurin the bracelet he carried on his pocket. There was no one else near them and it seemed like the mood has lightened from the night before.

"Em, Lady Flurin, I brought something for you. I planned to give it last night, but there were so many things to discuss…"

"A gift? You shouldn't have, Heika. I am sure you have more than enough in your hands currently,"

Secretly, Flurin could not deny the please feeling on her heart.

"It is nothing. Just something I saw in the town that reminded me of you,"

Yuuri decided he would never tell Lady Flurin that he hunted it all around the town. It was simply too embarrassing. Instead, he took out the box where the bracelet was rested from his pocket and gave it to Lady Flurin.

She accepted the box then opened it carefully.

"It is very pretty, Heika. Thank you very much," she said, lifting the bracelet to have a better view of it. She did not lying. While she did have a lot of jewelry, she never saw a precious stone like the one on the bracelet. Instead of reflecting light, it seemed to shine by itself. Even the workmanship was superb.

When he saw Lady Flurin put it in her wrist, Yuuri let out a breath he did not realize he held. Despite the assurances he has received, there was a tinge of doubt in his heart before whether Lady Flurin would like it or not.

"It suited you, Lady," Yuuri said, smiling.

Flurin could feel the hope kindled in her heart. Could it be that Yuuri Heika has some feeling for her? No, she should not raise her hopes. It was easier to accept that he was unreachable from the start than to entertain vain wishes and have them dashed later. It was, after all, very likely that the gift was just to thank her for her support or the common token a ruler brought another when they came to visit. Yet, a stubborn voice inside her head kept on reminding her that Yuuri Heika has waited until there was just the two of them before he gave it while he could just do it last night regardless of the atmosphere.

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Conrad could not say what exactly that prompted him to visit the little store in town. He had heard some talks when he visited the pub. He had intended to search for useful tidbit of information and news about a new, handsome store keeper was not what he came there for. Still, something in his mind, called it instinct, did not let him to ignore it. Now, he was glad he followed it.

He had planned to scout around the store a little before entering and enquiring for some insignificant item or other. He has not planned to face his younger brother the moment he stepped into said store.

"Wolfram?" he asked, disbelieve was clear in his voice.

From the other's expression, it was clear that Wolfram was as surprised as he was. Yet somehow, he succeeded on gathering back his composure.

"My name is Wolfgang," the younger mazoku said. He has dreaded this chance meeting since he knew they were coming to Caloria. His only consolation was that it was Sir Weller and not Yuuri.

"We are worried. Why did you leave like that?" Conrad said, disregarding Wolfram words about his name. He did not plan to make it sounded like accusation. He did not even plan it to be the first question he would ask if he found his errant brother. But it seemed that his tongue has a will of its own.

Wolfram was very aware of the ears perked curiously when Sir Weller first addressed him. After all, the people's partiality to gossips has been one of the reasons he became a store proprietor in the first place. It did not mean he wanted to be in one of those gossips. His life has been enough in a mess without it, thank you very much.

"What can I help you with, Sir?" he asked instead.

"Wolfram!

"I am afraid you are mistaken me for someone else, Sir. Like I said before, my name is Wolfgang. Or is that something that you search?" he put what he dubbed his merchant's smile for good measure. This was successfully making his customers back to their businesses, having apparently decided that there was nothing of interest happened. Unfortunately, Sir Weller – he knew− would not be that easy to deter.

Wolfram sighed. There was no escaping the coming interrogation, it seemed.

"Came again tonight, after the store was closed," he added in low tone so only Sir Weller could hear that.

The bell chimed again before Conrad could say another word. So instead, he gave a slight nod and made a beeline towards the door. Tonight, he would get his answers.

Wolfram pasted another smile and greeted the new customer. He desperately hoped that tonight Sir Weller would not bring Yuuri.

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"How is your day, Conrad?" Yuuri asked as soon as Conrad entering the room.

"It was…informative. I took it you have a good day, Heika?" Conrad deflected the query back.

Even when he said the words, Conrad knew it was not necessary to ask. Yuuri was beaming. He squashed a peculiar feeling on his heart. He has more important matter in his hand right then.

He was not sure whether he should inform Yuuri about Wolfram was being in town. There was no question that Yuuri deserved to know. But he got a feeling that doing so would be the same as betraying his little brother. He has no doubt that Yuuri was part of the reason why Wolfram left.

Then there was also the matter of their meeting that night. If he told Yuuri about Wolfram, Yuuri would insist to come. He wanted some explanations and Yuuri's presence has a big chance of preventing him from getting them.

"We took a walk on the garden. It was beautiful, Conrad. Too bad you could not join us,"

"And?" Conrad teased.

"I gave her the bracelet. She liked it," Yuuri blushed. "You said it was informative. What did you find?" quickly, he changed the topic.

No, he would not tell Yuuri anything. Yet. He would give Wolfram a chance to explain first.

"Well, the usual, Heika. There was…"


End file.
